mijournali

Knock! Knock! Book! Book!

Within a book, within a place, within a flower.

Daniel Lapin – Business Secrets from the Bible

King Solomon says: “There is no utterly righteous man on Earth who achieves any good without sinning.” Solomon is not saying that there is no righteous men. There are plenty. He is saying that there are no righteous man who achieve anything without sinning. You must interact with the world to achieve things and doing so means inevitable sinning and inevitable missteps because we are fallible. The only way to avoid doing anything wrong ever is to do nothing. Do not build a family. Don’t start a business. Lock yourself away in a cave and don’t do anything. Then, I suppose, there is the likelihood that you will be able to die totally without sin, other than the sin of locking yourself in a cave, of course. (And doing nothing is a sin, make no mistake. I would argue it is the worst kind because it means you are not serving God’s other children.)

If you’re out there in the world living life passionately, committed to your life, passionately committed to your family and your community, passionately committed to your career and your business, you are going to make mistakes. It’s going to happen. And you know what? So what! You will make a mistake, suffer a setback, and then move on from there, wiser for the experience. There is no need to fear the path forward. Eliminate the fear that you have of making mistakes and simply travel forward and be the best working professional, the best husband or wife, the best father or mother, that you can be and it will all work out in the end. Make fear your friend. We cannot allow ourselves to be paralyzed by terror, yet remember that ordinary fear is quite normal. Don’t allow fear to terrify you and what is more important, know that you can find happiness in fear. It is evidence that you are not a vegetable. Were you not striving towards goals and if you had no dreams, you’d have little fear. The presence of fear can bring a small private smile to your face. You know what is going on and you know how to allow it to lift you to new heights.”

Knock! Knock! Book! Book!

Within a book, within a place, within a flower.

Old World Italian – Mimi Thorisson

“The two guilty pleasures of Italian eating both start with the letter A. Sometimes there is no distinction between them, especially nowadays. Aperitivo is both the moment when you have your pre-dinner drink and the drink itself. It just means work is over, fun and food will be lad. And some of that food will be had now. All the usual suspects: olives, mini pizzas, deept-fried delicacies, some veggies thrown in for good measure. Basically, all the food that your personal trainer-if you’re unlucky, or disciplined, enough to have one – will tell you not to eat. Apperitivo in its purest form is a vertical affair, standing up, because you still can.

There is Antipasti, the other A: You’re in the restaurant or at home, and by now you are surely sitting down. Curious concocticons have given way to wine. That’s an absolute. This is the hour of really good hams, carefully prepared vegetables, quality crostini, cold salads, mixed seafood perhaps. You go for sparkling or you go straight to still. I have long thought that the most elegant thing anyone can have at this moment of the meal is the finest culatello and a very good glass of sparkling wine. Go for all the other stuff at your own peril and your own pleasure.”

“The inside is not striking, but it’s pleasant, classic, simple, which can be, and often is, more striking than…striking. Everything is unsurprising, and that’s a good thing. There are some signs that this establishment is more upscale than down-white tablecloths and napkins, a bit more shine. The waiters could be wearing white jackets and black bow ties. If they are you, you are probably in a city or a historical holiday place, somewhere the jet-setters used to go and maybe still do.”

“A really special restaurant is almost impossible to create quickly. It needs time. It needs, in cooking terms, to sit. The longer, the better. A concept is a clever idea that someone had.

A great restaurant has its own ideas, evolving organically over time, and Italy is full of places like that. When I visit friends in what they call “major cities,” they usually have lined up for us the best places, the most happening, the awesome. And next time we come, they have new awesomes. It’s about ticking things off a list: Go there once, then go someplace else. Never be caught dead in last week’s world. Now “there” is somewhere else. Not better but newer. A real restaurant needs regulars. No place that requires anyone to reserve three months in advance will ever have those. The staff won’t stay. They, too, will go on the next big thing. Like rats from a sinking ship, they know before anyone that it won’t last. Something more exciting is around the corner. Except it’s not.”

“Imagine you are somewhere in Italy. It’s around noon and you’re hungry. You are looking for a good place to eat and you know where to go. They know your name and your appetites and your favorite place to sit. They bring the aperitivo you like and one day you don’t even need to glance at the dessert cart. You know what’s on it. And you know what you’ll take. They know it, too. And if the place is crowded, there’s a chance that someone else might want it, too, so they’ll save you a slice. A place that saves you a slice, that’s the Italian restaurant.”

Best regards,

Mijournali!

Knock! Knock! Book! Book!

Another door/book is opening and now we expand ourselves…

Within a book, within a place, within a flower.

Joel Osteen – You are stronger than you think

“I read that one of the main causes of depression is not getting enough sleep. What am I saying? Pay attention to the practical things. You can’t go against natural laws and expect God to bless you. Too many times we end up unhealthy and not able to do what we used to. It wasn’t the enemy; it was the fact that we didn’t take care of our temple. You need recreation. You need to laugh and have fun. Laughter is medicine. Laughter releases stress and causes you to have more energy. My personality type is that I’m a hard worker, I’m driven, I’m determined, I like to accomplish things. We have so much going on that I could think about ministry and what to do next for twenty-four hours a day. But I’ve learned that if I don’t take time to exercise each week, I’m not going to be my best when I preach on the weekends. If I don’t take time to have fun with my family, go on bike rides, and play basketball, I’m not going to function at my highest level. You will be your most productive, your most effective, not when you’re working all the time, not when you’re putting in the most hours, but when you’re balanced physically, spiritually, and emotionally. If you neglect one area, it will lessen what you can accomplish. Many people are good at taking care of the physical and the emotional, but they don’t take care of the spiritual. There’s no conection to God. Your life will be more rewarding and more fulfilling when you’re in relationship with your Creator. He breathed life into you. He knows your purpose. He knows what you can accomplish. When you make Him part of your life, you’ll go further than you can in just your own ability and talent. The Scripture Says, “If you put Him first place, He’ll crown your efforts with success.” His favor on your life will take you where your talent could not take you. If you want to reach your highest potential, take care of the total you. Make your spiritual life a priority. When you get up in the morning, take time to thank God for the day. Don’t run out of the house stressed out, in a hurry. Start the day off with a grateful attitude. You don’t have to go through life weary. Maybe you need to make a practical adjustment today like Elijah did and start taking care of yourself. Or maybe it’s a change in your attitude, in how you’re seeing things. Weariness comes to us all, but you don’t have to allow it in. You may have been in a challenge a long time. You’re struggling with battle fatigue. This is a new day. God is breathing new life into your dreams. Dare to take hold of His strength. Get your fire back. When you feel weak, start declaring, “I’m strong.”

Courage is coming, energy is coming, vitality is coming. “